Euphoria
by teesloverB01
Summary: Jeremy has had a hard couple of weeks. His life was bad enough before all this other stuff started popping up. And now with his ghost-seeing abilities growing, a new threat is looming. How much more can a guy take? Changed my mind, NOT an OC, 2nd character to be revealed later. Ch. 3: Jeremy meets his familiar!
1. The Day It Began

A/N: Hello! Ok, so this is my first shot at a TVD fanfic. And at an OC. Because I usually really hate OCs, but I guess I should give them a try. I hope you guys like it and enjoy!

Oh yeah, and this starts from the end of 4x09, so the beginning is like when Damon and Jeremy are training. And I assume they were on like winter break or something, so you know, back to school. Not that they ever go anyway.

Disclaimer: Man, I don't even own my OC, it's my dog's. Yeah, that's right. Her idea. ^_^

I don't think I could own a TV show.

* * *

Jeremy was on top of Damon in an instant as he pointed the wooden stake at his chest.

"So maybe we should start using the plastic arrows again." Damon grunted, squirming on the ground.

"But this is a lot more fun." The hunter smirked, getting off Damon, helping him up.

"Well, sure, but we wouldn't want you to accidentally kill me, now would we?" Jeremy just stared at him blankly. Panting, Damon took the stake and replaced it with a safer, plastic arrow. "All right, again."

"Aren't you getting tired of this? I could keep going all day."

"You know what, fine, you pin me down one more time and we'll call it a day." Damon said, taking a stance. But before he could even finish his sentence, Jeremy had flipped him onto his back and plunged the arrow into the vampire's left arm. "Well, ouch."

"We're done." Jeremy smiled, going into the lake house. It was completely devoid of "Christmas cheer" inside, save for the few decorations he and Elena neglected to take down. Professor Shane had left yesterday to return to his classes, leaving the weirdest duo in the history of the whole world in the house alone. Jeremy looked around for a couple seconds, before making his way to the bathroom for a shower.

He stood there for a minute, letting the warm water wash over him. You know how sometimes you can spend almost an hour in the shower? You're clean and all, but instead of getting out, you just kinda stand there thinking about life and its problems. Maybe you even start dancing and singing, using your shampoo bottle as a microphone. Jeremy was doing that now, not the singing and dancing of course, but he was running his hands through his hair and around his body over and over again. Just… thinking.

After 20 minutes, he sighed and got out, toweling off before walking to his temporary room. They would have to move back to the Gilbert household soon as school was starting up again in a couple days. Jeremy pulled on a hoodie and some jeans and walked out to the kitchen. Damon was there too, brewing a pot of coffee. Jeremy assumed he had finally run out of scotch and had to settle for some caffeine. But then again, they had run out once before and the next morning, Jeremy found Damon already holding another glass in his hand, relaxing in the living room. He had decided not to ask.

He moved next to him, cup in hand. The two had grown considerably closer ever since Jeremy learned how to control his urges. Besides, they were in each other's company pretty much all the time, so one couldn't help but… connect more. An awkward silence followed as they watched the brown liquid drip agonizingly slow into the pot. Drip, drip, drip…drip.

"So, umm, about that sire bond of yours…" Jeremy trailed off, seeing a Damon death glare focused on him. He shrank back a little bit.

"Did Bonnie tell you that? God, what a little blabbermouth witch you got there."

"Uhh… no, Bonnie didn't. Alaric told me." He watched for a bit of a surprised reaction, but Damon just sighed.

"Oh, Alaric. Still hovering around, huh? Didn't know he cared."

"Well, he kinda "hovers" around me and Elena, but you're sort of always around, so… Not that he doesn't care, but I mean he… Uhh… you know. I'm not saying that you're a nuisance…"

"I get it, Jeremy. Thanks for the pick-me-up." Damon cut him off, laughing inwardly at the relieved little Gilbert. Normally, he was pretty sure they wouldn't be acting like this towards each other, but something must have clicked between the last couple weeks and now. Maybe it was the "no siblings around for interfering" thing. He loved Elena, but sometimes, he could see the annoying quality in her surface. Him and Stefan? Well, that was a whole 'nother story. "You still talk to Alaric?"

"What? Oh, yeah. A lot. It's actually pretty weird, sometimes he just pops up, out of nowhere, giving me little tips or he tries to calm me down or something. He doesn't have to do that anymore, though. But yeah, he does tell me stuff that you guys… don't."

"Right, sorry about not telling you your sister's sired to her ex-boyfriend's brother. I just assumed… You would hate me and then you'd have to pick a side."

"No, I wouldn't have to choose. Honestly, and don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't care. If Elena's happy, then great, I don't see why people have to interfere or why you actually care what they think. I mean, I'm not rooting for you or Stefan. It's not really my problem."

"I guess so." Damon responded hesitantly, slightly taken aback by Jeremy's thoughts on their situation. Since when did this troublesome little brother of Elena's get so… not… troublesome anymore? They spent the rest of the time in the kitchen in silence, once again watching the liquid drop down. Drip, drip.

Finally, the coffee was done and Jeremy poured what Alaric used to call "heaven's remedy of hung over-ness," into both of their mugs. They then went back to the living room and passed the time the way they always did after a long day. Chess.

* * *

There had always been a chessboard at _casa el Salvatore, _but neither of the vampires ever felt like playing. Grayson, oddly enough, had one tucked away in a cupboard and sometimes Jeremy would pull it out and they would occupy themselves with it. Well, Damon thought it was odd that there was a board here, but was sadly mistaken when Jeremy would always defeat him.

This time was no different. Jeremy happily knocked down his King with a grin and declared, "Checkmate. Ha, reigning champion! Come on, Damon, I would think that with almost 150 years of practice, you could beat a 17 year old."

"Well, you know what? Stefan was always the prodigy at this sort of stuff. I was more of the hunting type."

"Never would've guessed seeing as his plans never really work out too well. No offense."

"None taken, it's his intelligence you're insulting." Damon contemplated this for a while. "Heh, guess you're right. Sometimes I worry about what goes on in his and Elena's brains."

They put the chessboard away after Jeremy won a few more times and Damon won once after begging Jeremy to give him a chance. They moved onto video games shortly after, you know, the way boys tend to do. This time, Jeremy couldn't stand a chance against Damon, who was better than the teen at pretty much… everything. He even beat him on _Mario Kart_. "Wow, Jeremy… And here I thought you were a _normal _teenager. Someone's gotta brush up on his gaming skills."

"Shut up," Jeremy scoffed, giving him a shove. He thought for a moment. "Isn't this kinda weird? How you're better than me at video games and I'm better than you at chess?"

Damon seemed to think on this conundrum, too. "Yeah, that is a little weird. Well, obviously our tastes differ. See, I have the typical tastes of a typical teenager while you have the tastes of a 50 year old man." He snickered.

"Ok, well, normal is boring. And usually, I'd be offended. But seeing as I can kick your ass anytime I want, I'll let it go." Jeremy had the last laugh this time.

Damon laughed along with him, but was getting worried at what Jeremy said. It was true, he was getting stronger. What happens if he loses control? Everyone they cared about would be in danger and Jeremy wouldn't be able to stop. He would kill them all, not feeling even a shred of remorse. But then what? When he came back to his senses? The little Gilbert would be all alone. He really wouldn't have anyone left. Nothing left to live for, and more importantly, nothing left to stop him. Damon was pretty sure someone like that wouldn't listen to any remnant of his old life… so being a ghost was out of the question. Damon shuddered at the thought. Suddenly, the little Gilbert didn't look so little anymore.

"Damon!" Jeremy cried, clapping his hands in front of him. Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Sorry, what?"

"I said, I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go. Good night."

"Right…. Good night." Jeremy looked back at Damon suspiciously. What happened there? The older vampire was just standing there staring at him. It was kinda creepy. He learned not to question anything out of the ordinary with Damon by now, so he shrugged it off and found his way to his bed. Sleep overcame him in a matter of minutes.

Damon collapsed onto the couch shortly after Jeremy left. He didn't feel like making it all the way down the hall, so it was another night of crashing on the couch. It wasn't long when he got up again, going towards the shower. He stopped by his room to pick up a change of clothes and got into the shower after stripping. He, too, felt the water prickle on his skin. He noticed that he and Jeremy both do this. They spend quite a while under the water not doing anything. It just felt… good. That was all there was to it, really. Just stand and ponder.

After he was done, Damon went back to the couch. Maybe it wasn't that he didn't have the energy to go to his room. Maybe he just liked the couch. He lied there, rubbing his arm in the spot where Jeremy had pushed the arrow into. Damn, it hurt like hell. It was strange, really. Plastic shouldn't have hurt, and it didn't. But the 7 times Jeremy had pinned him today alone, and the force he used when he plunged it in, was really painful. Damon knew he hadn't meant to try so hard, but maybe that was the problem. Jeremy didn't know he was doing it. Besides, Damon did just brush it off, like always, so he probably felt like there was no need to worry. He let it go and kept rubbing his arm, sleep slowly taking over.

Jeremy woke up in a cold sweat, gasping. He looked over at his clock, it was 2 AM. Panting hard, he tried to remember what it was that woke him. It all came flooding back, the fear, the pain. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all of it. _Just a nightmare. That's all._ Slowly, he went back to bed, willing himself to forget. It wasn't a hunter dream again. He'd gotten rid of those. It was like a memory, but the weird thing was, it wasn't his.

* * *

A/N: Woo-hoo! So what did you guys think? Hopefully good things? Yeah? No? No?

Well, *laugh nervously* anyway, I was kinda thinking of making this a one-shot now, because I mean, this could be its own story. I'll have to change the summary and stuff, but that's easy.

I didn't introduce my OC yet, if you didn't notice. It was the dream, that was just a little hint. Anyway, CLIFFHANGER! And I know you hate those.

All right, I'm done. Bye! 'Till next time.


	2. The Day It All Started To Change

A/N: HI! So sorry this is like way overdue guys, but since I'm continuing it, I had to come up with an actual, working plot.

Ok, not much to say, except to those who didn't know, this will be an AU, so just remember that. **Oh and you're not seeing things, I totally re-wrote the summary for this**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my OC who's actually gonna make an appearance! Finally.

* * *

Jeremy walked into the living room, only to be met with the sight of a half-naked Damon drinking whiskey straight out of the bottle, lounging on the couch. "Were you out here all night?"

"Well, obviously not, I had to go buy this stuff from somewhere, didn't I?" Damon scoffed, swishing around the small amount of remaining liquid.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking?"

"No such thing. You can always have a drink. Anytime, anywhere, any place. At least I can. And you're up earlier than usual, it's like 9 AM."

"Couldn't sleep." Jeremy responded dully, settling down next to Damon. "Weird dream."

"Oh, did you kill anybody in it?"

Jeremy gave him an are-you-kidding-me look and Damon smirked. "What? Just asking. Anyway, I wanted to get back to town early. I mean, we're pretty much done here, school's starting up tomorrow, so…"

"What? Are you missing Elena already?"

"No, but she and Stefan hit a rough, well, _rougher_ patch, yesterday, so I should go fix it."

"Is it about the whole sire bond thing?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So, quick question. Elena's feelings for you are totally amplified and she can't even stop thinking about you. So does that mean that at one point, Tyler thought about Klaus, you know, in that way?"

Damon seemed intrigued by this and contemplated it for a second. "Not unless Tyler was harboring secret feelings for a 1000 year-old vampire before getting turned…. Oh, don't put that image in my head."

Jeremy snickered before getting up. "You know, I don't think that made much sense. So back to town it is, then. Just let me pack up."

After cleaning out the lake house, the duo started back to Mystic Falls, getting there around noon.

"Oh, Stefan! You around?" They walked around the house, finding it empty and quiet, until a ringing phone broke the silence.

"Hello?" Jeremy answered, picking up his phone. "Uhh, yeah, just got back. Yeah, sure, be right there." He hung up and turned to Damon. "Matt needs me to work today, so I guess I'll see you later." _**(I can't remember if Jeremy quit or not, but let's just say he still has a job at Mystic Grill.)**_

"What, now? Seriously? I need your help finding Elena."

"Why don't you look for her at our house, you know, where she actually lives? Or try Bonnie and Caroline. I gotta go."

Jeremy arrived at a packed Mystic Grill, weaving through the crowd before finally getting to Matt. "Oh, thank god you're here! We're totally short-staffed and I really need help."

"Why is it so full?" Jeremy asked, following Matt around as he bussed some tables.

"Beats me, but if I had to guess, it would be the fact that this is the last night before school starts again. Now go!"

A couple hours later, as the crowd died down a little bit, Jeremy spotted Tyler playing alone at a pool table and went over to talk to him. "Hey, man."

Tyler looked up, a little surprised. "Oh, hey. You're back from hunter training or whatever? What are you doing here? Does Elena even know you're back?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think. It's just Matt needed a hand with the rush, so I just came by to help. What about you? Are you doing ok? I mean, about your mom-"

"You know, Jer, I feel like we've had this conversation before and I'm tired of pretty much everybody else, so you can just drop it, all right?"

"Right." Jeremy eyed his friend warily, who went back to his game. He then had a wonderful idea. "Look, since you're ok and all, can I ask you a favor? Are you doing anything tonight?"

Tyler gave him a suggestive smirk. "Oh, Jeremy Gilbert. Asking me out on a date? How scandalous. People might talk, you know."

"Gross, no! Just you, me, and Matt. Like a guy's night. I just need some normal and a break from…all of it."

"What're we doing?" Matt happened to come by them at that moment, holding a plastic tub of glasses and utensils.

"Jer wants to have a little party, just the three of us. Might as well, seeing as I have nothing better to do. You in or what?" Tyler explained, glaring slightly at Matt, making sure he agreed, too.

"Yeah, of course. But where should we go to have this little party?" They both turned to Jeremy.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Well, my house is out. I figure Elena's gonna be there and she wouldn't let us anywhere near the good stuff." He looked at Tyler.

"Don't look at me. My house constantly has cops patrolling the place, ever since…" He trailed off, but then snapped his head back up at Matt. "But _you _could probably get us in here for this, right?"

"No. No way. We are not breaking in here."

"Oh, come on. For us. It's not even breaking in, as long as you have a key." Tyler gave him his best puppy-dog (or wolf?) face and nudged Jeremy to get him to join in.

"Ughh, fine! After closing, meet me in the back around 9. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to get back to." Matt huffed, trudging away, leaving the other two cracking up. They looked at each other for a minute, an awkward silence following.

"I'm gonna go." Jeremy finally said, shuffling away.

"Yeah, right. I... I was, playing... A game."

* * *

Around 6, the rest of the crowd dissipated, leaving just a few groups scattered around. Jeremy changed back into his clothes, getting ready to leave. "Matt, I'm gonna go. You're good now, right?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for the help. Umm, see you tonight, then?"

Jeremy smiled at him and walked out, starting towards the town cemetery, taking out his sketchbook. It would be getting dark soon, so he didn't have much time left to finish. He found his parents and Aunt Jenna's graves, and decided to sit down in the middle of the two. He flipped through the pages of his book before landing on the sketch of a bird he'd been working on. He waited for a bit until his model came flying down and perched on one of the stones. It was the same bird that had been coming to the graveyard for the past couple months. Jeremy glanced at it and smiled to himself as he began drawing.

The first time the bird appeared, Jeremy nearly pissed himself. He and Elena were visiting that day and Elena was preoccupied with talking to their dead parents, while Jeremy was leaning on a nearby tree, wishing she'd hurry it up already.

When suddenly, a gigantic crow came out of nowhere and sat on a branch right above Jeremy. He was shocked, to say the least, and gasped when he saw its size. Jeremy stared at it for a minute, taken in by the bird's large, black plumes that were darker than the night sky. When it looked down at the human, Jeremy couldn't help but look into its mesmerizing eyes, which were a dark red. They both froze in their spots then, locking eyes. A loud _caw_ from the bird broke their stupor and caused Elena to look behind her. Seeing the gargantuan crow that close to her brother freaked her out a little and she called for him to follow her back out. Jeremy turned around for a second to reply, but when he turned back, the bird had gone. Confused, he looked around for it, before running to catch up with Elena. Jeremy hadn't been back there since, that is until Aunt Jenna died.

He went to see her a few weeks after, alone this time. He didn't notice the figure behind him until it gave another loud cry. Spinning around, he saw the same crow was there again. Its intense glare caused Jeremy to back up a little in fear, but its gaze pulled him back in. The creature was actually very beautiful, but he couldn't appreciate it for long, as it flew off in a rush.

He went back once more the next day, sketchbook, pencil, and breadcrumbs at the ready, and sat near the tree, waiting for the animal. It came, as expected, and Jeremy cautiously approached it, dropping some breadcrumbs at its feet. It pecked at them happily and hopped closer to Jeremy, making a sort-of _coo_ing noise. Well, as close to a _coo_ as a crow could get. From that moment on, the two had become friends, kind of an owner-pet relationship. Jeremy named it Kyran, only because he didn't want to call it an 'it' forever, and he seemed to respond to it, oddly enough.

Jeremy's smile widened as he examined his sketch of the crow. It had been a while since he last came here to see Kyran, since he was up at the lake house with Damon. It definitely wasn't the first time. After Bonnie brought him back to life that first time, he just couldn't handle all the ghosts scattered everywhere at the cemetery. They all looked lost and he couldn't find the courage to be anywhere near that. But that was a long time ago. He had gotten used to it by now and learned how to not think about the lost souls. The trick, pretty much, was to just not care.

Jeremy finished his drawing in time, seeing the sun set slowly into the horizon. It got dark pretty fast. Kyran flew off after some squawking at the human, as Jeremy got up, heading back to the Grill for Tyler's 'party.' He stopped in his tracks when he noticed he wasn't the only one in the graveyard anymore. There was a teen, who looked around 18, kneeling down next to a stone.

"Are you ok?" Jeremy asked before he could stop himself. _Well, obviously, he's not ok! It's a graveyard, dumbass! Stupid, stupid! _He mentally face-palmed.

The boy looked at Jeremy, surprised, before regaining his composure. "Why do you care?" He scoffed, his voice taking a slightly angry tone.

Jeremy was taken aback by the response. "Ok, sorry I showed concern. Guess I'll just leave you alone then."

"Wait, I'm sorry. That was rude, I guess I'm just feeling… mad." The boy turned back to the grave. Jeremy walked closer to the teen, his pale skin illuminated by the full moon. He had black hair, almost as dark as Kyran's plumes, and was wearing a dark green hoodie and grey skinny jeans.

"Hmm, I know the feeling. But, uhh, penny for your thoughts?" Jeremy asked, stopping behind the boy. When he looked behind him, the boy's perfect, stunning, sapphire eyes started taking in the person in front of him. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, if you're uncomfortable with that. But…I, you just looked upset. I mean, obviously, you'd be upset, if you're here in a graveyard. I'm just asking." Jeremy was flustered for some reason, maybe it was the kid's eyes. Those blue orbs just seemed to bore into his soul.

"I don't know. Talking to a complete stranger about my life? Doesn't really sound like a good idea."

"Right, it was just… if you were up for sharing. I've always heard it's easier to talk to strangers because they're not objective or something like that, but that never really made much sense to me."

The boy chuckled and stood up, rising to his full height, meeting Jeremy's eyes. "I'm not here for anyone, actually. I don't know, a dark cemetery? Seemed like a good place to think. Wow, that sounded really creepy. Umm, can I ask what you're doing?"

"Oh!" Jeremy fumbled trying to flip to the right page in his sketchbook, showing it to the teen. "I was drawing this bird and some tombstones. It's still a work in progress. Anyway, I'm Jeremy." He held his hand out.

The other smiled, ignoring the handshake, and waved. "Jalen. I'm new around here, if you didn't notice. And, sorry, but my hands are kinda dirty from the… dirt." They were silent for a moment, both not knowing what to say next.

"Umm, I'm really sorry, but I have to go. My friends and I are sort of throwing this party-type thing at the Grill tonight, but do you want to come? You know, get to know the town a little better."

"I can't, but thanks for the offer. I have to get home, though, or my mom will never let me out again. I know-curfew, totally old-fashioned. But maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

"Probably, it's a pretty small town. See ya later, then?" Jeremy grinned, as they both walked out of the entrance. Jalen waved goodbye and they went their separate ways.

* * *

Back at the Mystic Grill, Jeremy was met by a nervous Matt and delighted Tyler, waiting for him at the back entrance. "Finally!" Tyler cried, exasperated. "Took you long enough. Come on, Matt. Let's get this thing started."

Matt took the key out and unlocked the door. "Ok, just don't break anything and don't drink too much or it'll look suspicious."

Two hours later, the three of them had finished a bottle of whiskey and were halfway through a bottle of bourbon. _**(I don't know alcohol, like at all.) **_It was suffice to say that they were definitely buzzed. A half hour later, they were lying on the tables, giggling at Matt, who was spouting random nonsense. Jeremy looked over at the front door and saw a very sullen Stefan trudging across the street. He got off his table and opened the front door. "Stefan!"

The vampire spun around, and was surprised to see Jeremy standing, more like leaning, at the entrance of the Grill. "Jeremy? What are you doing here? I thought you were still up at the lake house with Damon." He walked over to the younger Gilbert, who motioned inside. Stefan caught sight of Tyler trying to be seductive, until Matt pushed him off a table. "And now you're back and the three of you are now all drunk off your asses."

Jeremy gave him a sheepish grin. "Pretty much. Oh and Damon was looking for you and Elena. Something about siring…"

"Yeah, he found me." Stefan retorted bitterly. He just shook his head and started to walk away. "Just make sure you're not driving home, Jer."

"Wait, hold up!" Jeremy called after him, making Stefan come back. "Why don't you stay… and have a drink or something?"

"Thanks, but I don't want to intrude on your 'Welcome Back' party."

"No, this isn't for me. I mean, they might think it is, but… Look, Tyler doesn't want to admit it, but his mom just got killed and that really hurts. Trust me. All this crap is for him. 'To drown his sorrows,' so to speak. And everything that's happening between you and Damon and Elena breaks your heart, maybe more than you realize. This… this could be the one night you can just forget about all of it. Come on, Stefan. Just this one day. This one night where nothing has to feel like a lie."

Stefan let out a deep breath and met Jeremy's hopeful eyes. "Ok."

Jeremy smiled at him and ushered him in. At first, Matt and Tyler were a little suspicious, but after a very convincing glare from Jeremy, Tyler reached for a shot glass, knocking down a bottle in the process. "Oh, sorry!" He and Matt started laughing, who just said he'd worry about it tomorrow.

"You must be really drunk." Stefan chuckled, downing the contents of his glass.

"A toast!" Tyler exclaimed suddenly. "To being the last one of Klaus' hybrids." He frowned, remembering his friends, before gesturing to Stefan. "To being single again and not letting it get you down. Too much."

Jeremy shot him a disapproving scowl and Tyler held his hands out in defense. "Sorry, just saying."

Stefan raised his glass and grinned. "Don't worry about it. Forgetting all about it for tonight."

Tyler nodded and pointed to Matt. "And to being the last normal human in this messed-up town."

Matt looked a little confused. "What do you mean last normal human? What about April?"

"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about her."

Stefan swallowed the rest of his drink, before shaking his head. "Mmm, no. She doesn't count because let's be honest. Any person happy to help a bitchy, narcissistic, vampire Barbie kidnap her friends may just be certifiably crazy." They all laughed.

"What the hell happened?" Jeremy asked, out of the loop.

"It's a long story. We'll tell you all about it tomorrow." Tyler brushed it off, pouring more liquid into each of their glasses. "Oh, I didn't toast to you, yet."

"To being me." Jeremy said simply, raising his glass. The other three did the same and they all talked and drank and laughed, until eventually falling asleep on each other.

Matt woke up with a start around 1:00 am, shaking the others awake. "Oh, my boss is going to kill me." He looked at the carnage. Broken bottles were lying here and there, some tables and chairs were overturned, everything was just everywhere. "Help me clean up, you guys!" The four of them picked it all up, leaving the place the way they found it when they came in. "We should probably get home now." They walked toward the back entrance. "Oh, Jer, could you check if the front's locked?"

"Oh, right." He ran back to the front, turning the lock. He stopped when he thought he saw the figure of a person staring at him from across the street.

"Jeremy, come on!" Matt yelled from behind him.

"Be right there." Jeremy yelled back, turning around for a second. When he turned back to the street, there was no one there. _Wow, I must be reallllyy tired. _He walked back to the other three, as Matt locked up. "So see you all at school tomorrow?"

"UGHH!" Tyler groaned. "We have school and we are all going to have the worst hangover. All's well that ends well, though, right?"

"It is _not_ going to end very well." Matt said, while they started walking towards their homes.

"Ahh, Matt! Don't ruin it, ok? Just let it be for now." Stefan quipped and they went their separate ways.

* * *

A/N:** Ok, I know, vampires and hybrids can't get drunk. But just pretend that they can for this chapter. **

So my OC, I never said his introduction would be that long, now did I? He'll be coming in later, though, don't worry.

And I know the beginning started off really awkward, but it was a bit difficult. Damon wasn't in here much, but they'll all make an appearance, don't worry about that.

Some stuff may have seemed useless and chances are, they won't be making a comeback in later chapters, but some stuff will, so keep an eye out.

That's it and **if you have any questions about, like timeline, or anything really, feel free to ask! :) Review, please and thanks to those who did! **

Love ya! See you next time.


	3. The Day They Met, For Better or Worse

**A/N: JEREMY'S ALIVE! YAY! **I haven't been watching so I didn't understand, like, most of the season finale, but I caught the ending and I was just sooooo happy. So I'm gonna update this. I'm so sorry for taking so long, but here you go. Thanks to all my readers for sticking with me.

Disclaimer: No OC, so I own absolutely nothing. 'Cept for the name Jalen.

* * *

Jeremy walked down the halls of Mystic Falls High with his hood up, trying to tune out the constant nagging of the person beside him.

"I just think you should focus a little bit more on your work, Jer. I mean, I know the new history teacher's a weirdo. He probably doesn't even care about Mary, Queen of Scots, but still…"

"Alaric!" Jeremy cried, turning on his heel to face him. The halls were empty since everyone was at the football game, but just to be safe, Jeremy kept his voice low. "Seriously, stop. Please, I'm begging you. Stop worrying, I know how to take care of myself."

"I know you do. It's just…with everyone graduating in a couple months…"

"What, you don't want me to feel lonely?" Jeremy asked, pushing the front doors open.

"No. I mean, you'll still have me."

"And that's just it. I love you, but you can't just hang around here, as much as I enjoy your company. People are starting to look at me like I'm crazy or something."

Alaric sighed heavily. Maybe he was becoming a little attached. "You're right. You're right, I just don't know what to do here. I mean, what things do ghosts do?"

"Well, don't ask me. I'm not an expert at this stuff. Now, do you want me to go with you to see Aunt Jenna or what? I have studying to do with Tyler."

* * *

At the cemetery, Jeremy ripped a few petals off a rose and scattered them on Jenna's tombstone. He took the remaining petals and did the same to Alaric's. He stepped back so Alaric could kneel down next to Jenna.

"Today's the anniversary of when we met. I first saw her on this exact day a year ago. Time flies when you're dead, doesn't it?"

"You haven't found her yet?" Jeremy asked softly.

"No, no. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of deaths that happen here." Alaric let out a humorless, dry laugh. "It's hard to sift through all of them, you know… Anyway, thanks for coming with. I know you've been here a lot and it's hard for you. Umm, I guess I should get going. I'll… I'll come by a little later." He disappeared into the wind, stirring some leaves around.

Jeremy smiled and waved at nothing, before sitting on the grass. He put his chin in his hand, arranging Jenna's set of petals into a circle. "Where are you? Why haven't you come to visit? I can see you now, you know." He wrapped himself in his jacket, feeling the wind pick up.

"Interesting." A voice behind him sounded, making him jump slightly. Jeremy spun around, scanning the grounds. There was only the grass as far as he could see.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Silence. He looked back down at the ring of petals. They had been blown away. He glanced at Alaric's and took a shuddering breath once he saw them there. They were arranged into a word. _Hi. _Jeremy blinked and rubbed his eyes. Once he opened them again, the petals were back in their original positions, with Jenna's in a circle again.

Backing up a little, he felt something nudge his leg. He looked down slowly, not really knowing what to expect, and sighed with relief when he saw his crow there. "Kyran, you nearly gave me a heart attack." He bent down so the bird could hop on his arm. "You didn't happen to see that, did you? Well, probably not, you did just get here…aanndd I'm talking to a bird. Maybe I am going crazy."

"You're not going crazy."

Jeremy froze, eyes shifting to Kyran. "Did you just… What am I saying? I'm losing my mind."

"No, that was me."

"Oh my god!" Jeremy flung the animal off his arm, falling backwards onto his butt. He stared in shock as the crow hopped back and was instantly surrounded by a flurry of feathers. Standing in front of him was a teenage boy with fair skin and golden eyes. His hair was pitch black, like Kyran, and there was a fringe of dark red at the tips, the same shade as Kyran's eyes.

"See, you're not going crazy." The boy took a couple steps toward Jeremy, but he had already scrambled to his feet and started to run the other way. The boy sighed heavily. "Why do they always run?" He wisped away, blowing the petals away by the sudden draft.

Jeremy chanced a glimpse behind him and found that the person had disappeared. He slowed down and looked around confusedly. "What the hell?" Jeremy turned around, his eyes meeting golden ones.

"Well, if you'd stop running, I'd like to explain."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Jeremy stumbled backwards.

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you." The boy held his hands up in defense and took slow steps forward. "Ok, I admit I went about this all wrong, but just give me a chance." Satisfied that the human wasn't trying to run anymore, he dropped his hands and spoke. "Sorry, I haven't done this before." He took a deep breath. "Ok, hi. I'm your familiar."

Jeremy stared at him wide-eyed. "My what?"

"Your familiar. Or harbinger or spirit animal or whatever you wanna call me. You named me Kyran, which, coincidentally, is sort of like my secret name to summon me. But my human name is Shinichi. Since you know my true name, I will always be at your service, my lord." He bowed slightly and grinned.

"This is not happening. This is not happening to me right now. I'm dreaming, I'm totally dreaming." Jeremy muttered to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

"You're not dreaming, you're going through denial. It happens sometimes, or so people say. Come on, Jeremy. In a town filled with witches, vampires, werewolves and even hybrids, you're not believing this? You see ghosts all the time, I'm just a different kind."

Jeremy straightened and cleared his throat. "How do you know my name?"

"You told me, remember? After you started drawing me." He vanished for a second and came back with the sketchpad in his hand. "I gotta say, it's not bad. It seems to capture my essence well enough, don't you think?"

"How'd you do that?"

"I'm a ghost. I've got some tricks up my sleeve. Now, let me finish. There's this whole thing I have to go through. I will be acting as your instructor for all your necromancy needs. Oh, wait, hold on, wrong one." A folder appeared in his hand and he flipped through it, trying to find the right page. "Oh, here it is. I am your familiar spirit. My purpose is to solely serve you, my master, and provide protection or guidance when called upon. Blah, blah, blah, you get the point. It just goes on. So, any questions?"

"Why are you here?"

"Right, I forgot about that. Well, I am to stay by your side as you come into your powers and realize your full potential."

"But why now? Why not back when I first died?"

"I died a while back, but I still had to go through training and stuff. It's a rarity for a familiar to actually be dead, so it's more difficult to prepare for. Anyway, is that it?"

"Why me?"

Shinichi shrugged. "It was time. Look, I'll try and explain more as we go, but those are the basics."

Jeremy was about to say something, when he heard someone call his name. Spinning around, he saw the boy he met the day before walking up to him. "Jalen?"

"Hey, do you come here, like, everyday?"

"What? No, I was with an old friend. It was an anniversary thing and he wanted to drop by. What about you? You were just here yesterday."

"Oh, well, like I said, this place helps me think and it has that feeling, you know? Whoa, is that the crow you showed me you were drawing?" Jalen's eyes fell on the animal pecking the ground. "Wow, it's huge."

Jeremy looked down at Shinichi and bent down to pick him up, but before he could, the bird flew off somewhere. "Sure. Now you leave."

"Sorry, were you talking to me?"

"No, I was just thinking aloud." They started walking towards the front gate. They were silent on the way there, neither really wanting to talk.

Jalen stopped suddenly, making Jeremy pause, too. "Is something wrong?"

"Jeremy, remember how you were saying something about strangers being the best people to talk to? Can I… tell you something? I just need to get it out."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I'm here because of an anniversary, too….. My brother died today, a couple years ago."

"I'm sorry." Jeremy said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I know what its like to lose someone you love."

"Right. You know, I used to have this really stupid fantasy that I would go over and over in my head. Somehow, just be some miracle, he wouldn't be dead. It was all a mistake and he was still alive. We could see each other again and he would say I was a wimp cuz I cried for nothing. And it wouldn't matter because he was there and we were a family again." He hesitated, blinking the tears out. "But it didn't happen. He was dead. Nothing was going to change that." Jalen smiled sadly. "Heh, sorry to dump all of that on you. I never told anyone that before."

"It's fine. I am really sorry about that."

"Oh, don't be. It was a long time ago. The worst part, though? He wasn't buried here, so I can't really go and visit him…"

"Oh… Hey, you wanna get out of here, it's getting kinda dark." Jeremy asked, pushing the front gate open.

"No, you go ahead. I think I dropped something somewhere." Jalen sifted through his pockets. "Shoot, I have to find it."

"Well, maybe I can help?" Jeremy called, watching the other's retreating figure.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to keep you. I'll see you around, all right!" And with that, he was gone.

Jeremy walked down the road to his house. Tyler had canceled their study date because he apparently had Caroline to deal with. Whatever that meant. He heard a small clattering noise behind him and as soon as he looked back, Shinichi was there again. Jeremy jumped back. "Holy crap!… Hi. Hold on, is this going to be a regular thing with you? Because I can't have people always staring at me talking at thin air."

"Relax, if you're around other people, I'll be in my animal form or I'll try to not be around. Didn't you notice me watching you at Mystic grill last night?"

"That was you? That freaked me out."

"Sorry, I have that effect on people. But I'll try to not be so obvious next time and you just have to call if you need me, ok? Speaking of which, looks like you have a ghost on your hands already. How can I help?"

Jeremy turned back, confused. "Wait, what do you mean ghost? I haven't seen any since Alaric earlier today…"

"What do I mean? What do you mean? Your friend back there, Jalen, was it? He's one."

"What? No, he's not dead. He's human, he was telling me about his brother's death when you left."

"Jeremy, he's a ghost. Can't you tell the difference?"

"I thought I could… No. no way, he's dead. You're wrong.

"It's my job to discern the living and the dead, trust me. He's dead, he lied."

"Then who is he? And why would he talk to me about that stuff?"

"Umm, you're the only person who can see us? I'll keep an eye on him, he doesn't seem like the usual ghost."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean, he just seems off. Like, he's a totally different person than he should be. Be careful, Jer. He might be dangerous."

"I have to go." Jeremy took off in a run, hoping to get away from everything that happened that night.

"Jeremy, hold on!"

"Just leave me alone!"

Shinichi stood in the road, watching his charge run off. "I really hope I don't mess you up." As he started walking to the graveyard, a squirrel came out of the grass next to the road and scampered near his legs. Shinichi acknowledged it, but didn't stop walking. "I don't know yet." He responded to the rodent's chatters. "He could possibly be the one we're looking for. Just be patient, sister."

* * *

A/N: Yes, Shinichi is a book charcter! He is a kitsune, but not in my story. Sorry if he's OOC, I haven't read the books.

So if you guys could help me with him, I would REEALLLY appreciate it! :)

Also, just him. His sister won't be showing up, just in animal form.


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